The Past, Present, and Future of the Business School

Authors: Edward W. Miles



Maps out the historical development of the university from medieval times to the modern structure

Compares and contrasts the challenges faced by business schools with other professional university programs

Discusses the roots of the criticisms about university-based business schools through historical, resource, and professional lenses

This book examines the criticism that modern business schools face and how these obstacles have evolved throughout history. Through historical, resource, and professional school contexts, it sheds light on the operating environment of the business school and the challenges endemic to various university-based professional schools, exploring the likelihood that potential interventions will result in success or failure.
Business schools are often accused of inhibiting the practice of business by producing research that is irrelevant and does not address real concerns facing managers. This book investigates these accusations by outlining the historical values on which academic institutions are based, the resources and funding available today, and comparisons to other professional schools which undergo a similar level of scrutiny. This extensive coverage will help academics, administrators, faculty, and policy makers with the tools to understand better the ill-will towards business schools in today’s university structure, and ultimately to deliver on the benefits they provide to stakeholders.

Table of contents (16 chapters)

Introduction

Higher Education from Antiquity to the Medieval University

Medieval Craft Guilds Died Out in Business, but They Are Alive and Thriving in Business Schools

Critical Juncture I: The Pseudo-Humboldtian Influence

The Purpose of the University

Critical Juncture II: Mass Education and the Demise of the Humboldtian University: The Great Paradox—University in Ruin Caused by Its Own Success

Prestige and Prestige-Seeking in Universities

Critical Juncture III: The 1959 Foundation Reports—Throwing Out the Baby with the Bath Water?

Prestige-Seeking by Business Schools

Credentialing: Safe for Another 800 Years?

Professions, University-Based Professional Schools, and Business as a Profession

Professional Schools Displace Practice-Based Training

Lessons from University-Based Journalism Schools and Law Schools

Lessons from University-Based Medical Schools

Critical Juncture IV: The State’s Reduction in Munificence

Another Paradox: The Business School in Ruins